THE "IMP-O-LUCK"

Although Viquesney's 12-inch miniaturedesktopDoughboy statuettesold in the thousands, Viquesney's actual best seller by far, in terms of actual unit sales, was a good-luck piece patented in 1923 called the "Imp-O-Luck". It consisted of a Leprechaun-like figure surrounded by horseshoes and four-leaf clovers and came in a variety of forms, from keychain charms (above) to statuettes, tie pins, incense burners, lamps, and an expandable ring. Some of the versions are shown here. The oxidized silver keychain piece alone sold in the "jillions", according to Viquesney researcherT. Perry Wesley. In its first full year of production (1924), the post office in Spencer, Indiana logged 100,000 parcels from the Imp-O-Luck Company. At 98 cents apiece, that was quite a haul.

So successful was the "Imp-O-Luck" that as an advertising gimmick, Viquesney made an 11-foot version to stand on the roof of his downtown Spencer, Indiana studio building. It can be seen at left in a detail of a rare surviving photo provided to us by Vic Kinney, President and Museum Curator, Owen County Heritage & Culture Center. The Imp-O-Luck Company ceased production of the item sometime after May, 1929.

The popular statuette version of the ''Imp-O-Luck'', about 6'' tall.
Photo: eBay. Now in the J. Gary Shaw collection.

"CHARMEE" PERFUME BOTTLE

A related piece sold by the Imp-O-luck Company was this porcelain and metal "lucky god" figurine titled "CHARMEE". It was produced as a perfume bottle. The generic name for this type of sculpture is "Billiken". Made by many companies, it often appeared as a Buddha-like figurine and was popular from 1908 through the 1920s. "CHARMEE" apparently was Viquesney's attempt to cash in on the craze. A label on the bottom is imprinted with the Imp-O-Luck Company name, but the metal top is marked "Germany", indicating some or all components of these pieces were imported and then sold through Viquesney's company.